Container for transporting stacked articles



CKED ARTICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 G. W. QUTTS NTAINER FOR TRANSPORTING STA Filed July $50, 1931 Sept. 6, 1932.

r; INVENTOR: v qeorgellfmfis BY ATTORNEYS.

WITNESSES W M w Sept. 6, 1932. s. w. BUTTS CONTAINER FOR TBANSFORTING STACKED ARTICLES .Filed July 50, 1931 2. Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESSES l W a. M

- 40 provision of a spring which yieldingly main- 7 Patented Sept. 6,1932 v I UNITED STATES PATENfI- ()FF enonen nurrsor wmnwoon, rn'NnsYLvAnm I CONTAINER ron'rnnnsronrme srecxnn ARTICLES Application med Jul 30, 1931. Serial No. 553,961.

This invention relates to containers for with a portion of a side wall broken away for transporting stacked articles, such as face clearness of illustration. r i f bricks or the like. More particularly, the Fig. II represents an end. elevation of the invention relates to shipping containers of the same. i V r type used on railroad cars, motor trucks, or FigIII represents an enlarged endview of trailers. Containers of this type are com- One bottom corner'of the container. monly made of such dimensions thatfa mul- Fig. IVtrepresents a cross section of the tiple of them arranged side by side may be same taken as indicated by the lines IVIV conveniently accommodated on the floor of a of Flg. III. 7 a

freight car. q i

The occasion for the present invention Same taken as indicated by the lines VV of arises from the fact that in transporting g- 1 1- bricks or the like, it has been commonprac- I Flg; VI represents a cross section of the p & tice to employ containers with drop doors and e t n as lndlcated by the l nes VIV'I to dump the lading at destination by opening 0f 1g. I-II. g I '6 the doors and allowing the contents to fall g- VII-IBPre$e11tS a OIOSS SectlOIL offihe out indiscriminately. This manner of dump: Same n llldleated ythe-111165 ing the container contents involves consider VIIfVII 0f g- I able breakage and is particularly undesir-J g' VIII P e e crosssectloh h't able in connection with thetransportation of Same taken as 1hd1eeted y the hhes 1 high grade bricks, such as face bricks. VIII VIII 0f g- ,The object of the invention is to provide gl ep ah enlargedperspectlve a container having side and end walls, a top, ew of Wedge block; and g 1 and no bottom, and further characterized by g X' d represent P P h means which are attached to opposite walls VleWS g blocks the p h g .5 f th container d are d t d t engage shaft wh1 ch controls the dlscharge of the and release load-carrying members extendeohtalhel eehtentsv 3 ing across the bottom of the containerr The The eohta-lhel' Shown h h g and invention is generally similar to that shown Selected as an e mp Q thls 1hVeht10ha 1S a in my pending application for U. S. Letters ralhoad eohtalhel" h ll 39 Patent; Serial No. 529,532, filed April 11, h t when r g slde y slde W t r 1931, but is characterized, and distinguished slhhlal' contamers h floor f e g therefrom, by the provision of reinforcethelot f l e t a y-o ments at opposite sides of the container frame pl e p t h p -e h r having special formations adapted to support The contiuner m Shaped 1n e f r o $5 pivoted links, whichare'used as the means for a box and o p a er y, slde W l engaging and releasing the 1Oad carrying 1, ends walls 2, a top 3, and cornerangles 4,

by which the side and end walls are joined tomembers, and 1s further characterlzed by the gether. At the p of the c O ne p ofoppositely disposed loops 5 are provided, no there being one such loop at the center of each end wall 2. The loops 5 serve as means by which the container may be engaged and elevated by suitable hoisting apparatus.

tains the pivoted links in either engaged or released position. 7

Other objects and advantages characteristic of the present invention will become more l Pl r from the description of one Across the bottom of each side wall 1 there embodiment OI example Of invention is a stiffening member 6 having an outward which follows hereinafter, having reference 1 tending protuberance 7 'which'serves as to the accompanying drawings, whereof: a fender guarding the sidewall 1 of the con- Fig. I represents a side elevation of a container against injury in the event of impact 50 tainer embodying features of my invention between the container and some other object Fig. V represents a cross section 'of the in the course of its handling. At the bottom of the end walls 2 reinforcements are porvided'in the form of castings 8 which extend from one side of the container to the other, and which have formed integrally therewith depending legs 9 extending an appreciable distance beneath the bottomedges of theside and end walls. 7 The container-has no bottom, and within the space between the legs 9,. loadcarrying members in the form of wooden beams 10 are disposed across the bottom of V the container frame,these members serving to support the contents of the container. As shown in Fig. I, the load-carry ng members- 10 support a lading platform 11 upon which the articles to be. .transported are stacked. This invention is not concerned with the method by which articles are assembled and stacked within the container, but an example ofa preferred method of arranging bricks upon lading platforms may be found in my pending application for U. S. Letters Patent above referred to.

The reinforcing castings 8 include flanges 12.and parts 13 of angular section at which the (castings are adapted to be riveted tothe end walls 2 of the container. Joining the flanges 12 and angle members 13 there are a series. of vertical ribs 14, 15 and 16 which extend outwardly to a considerable distance beyondv the end walls 2. The ribs, 14, 15and 16 are provided with slots 17, as shownin Fig. VI, terminating'in semi-circular surfaces 18 within which the link "operating shafts 19. are mounted, there being one such shaft 19 for each end of the container. Each link operating shaft 19 is formed with a bent end 20 located near a corner leg 9 of the container, the bent end serving as a handle by which the shaft may be rotated.

' 7 Upon each shaft 19 there is welded a pair of U-shaped links 21 which constitute the means 'forsuspending the load-carrying beams 10 at the bottom of the container. The ends of the beams 10 are preferably cut away at 22 to accommodate the bottom of the links 21, and the container attachments and beams 10 are so proportioned as to vertical dimen- [sions that when the container rests upon level groundthe beam ends 23 will clear the bottom of the links .21, as shown inFigs. I and II, so that the weight of the package is not transferred to the container until the condownward and connect with a flat bar 27 which extends from one leg 9 to the other.

Within the space between the angle members 13 and the lugs 25 bearing blocks 28, shown separately in Fig. X, are inserted, these blocks havin semi-circular surfaces 29 which .togetherwlth the semi-circular surfaces 18 of the ribs 14 and 15 form the complete hearing within which theshaft .19 is rotatably mounted. After the shaft 19 with its pair of links 21 has-been inserted from the rear towards the front in its proper position within the casting'8, the bearing blocks '28 the bearing blocks 28 and 38 in proper posi-x tion. Each plate 30 is attached to the reinforcing casting 8by rivets at the vertical legs of the angle members 13, and at flanges 31 adjacent to the lugs 25 and 26. The flat bar 27 is also riveted to the plate 30 and is joined to the casting 8 by rivets at flanges 32 on'the lower ends of the ribs 14. i l

At the corners of the. container the angle members 4 are interposed between theend walls .2, together with the end wall extension plates.30,and th e' reinforcing castings 8, as shown in Fig. VII; V At the centerofeach shaft 19 a shoulder 33 is formed thereon having angular surfaces 34 and 35, and a fiat spring 36 adapted to bear upon'the'angular surfaces 34 and 35 is provided. Beneath the angularjmember 13 ofthe casting there. is a correspondingly shaped member 37 forming therewith a housing for the bearing block 38. The bearing block 38, shown separately on Fig. XI, has a semi-circular surface 39 upon which the shoulder 33 of the shaft 19 is supported. The vertical ribs16 are connected at their bottom ends by a member 40 which has an angular portion 41 to which the bottom of the spring 36 is attached. A Wedgeshaped block 42, shown separately in Fig. IX, fits between the angular portion 41 and an additional angular portion 43 of the casting 8, holding the bent end 44 of the spring 36 in fixed positi on. The wedge block 42 is also attached to the end wallextension plate 30.

',The spring 36'is preferably a comparatively'wide" and stiff flat spring'having a slight curvature as shown at 45 in Fig. V. It will be apparent that when the flat spring 36 engages the surface 34 of the shoulder on the shaft 19, the shaft and its pair of links 21 are maintained in that position in which the links engage the load-carrying beams 10, and that in this'situation the pressure of the spring 36 resists yieldingly rotativemovement of the shaft 19. When the handle 20 of theshaft 19' is turned through an angle of approximately forty-five degrees, causing a corresponding movement of the links 21 to a position in which they are disengaged from the ends 23 of the load-carrying beams,

the end of the flat spring 36 will bear upon the surface 35 of the shoulder on the shaft 19 and hold the shaft with the links in released position against the pressure of the spring. Accordingly, while the container is being handled in transportation the shaft is in effect locked against rotative movement; and when it is desired to discharge the contents of the container the handle 20 of each shaft 19 is turned to released position, in whichposition the links 21 are temporarily locked so as to clear the beam ends 23 when the container is raised.

It will be noted that the vertical ribs 14, 15 and 16 of the casting 8 extend outwardly beyond the pivotal points of the links 21 and beyond the fiat spring 36. Accordingly these ribs 14, 15 and 16 serve as guards preventing injury to the links 21, or to their operating shafts 19, or to the spring 36 by which the shafts are held in one position or another.

The operation of the apparatus by which the load-carrying beams are engaged and released will be apparent from the above description. After the package, for example stacks of bricks, has been assembled, the container is lowered directly over it and allowed to rest on the ground. In this position the load-carrying beams 10 extend outward beyond the end walls 2 where they may be engaged by the pivotally mounted links 21. When the links 21 have been caused to engage the beam ends 23 by rotation of the handles 20 of the operating shafts 19, the container is ready to be hoisted and transported by any suitable conveyance to its destination. At its ultimate destination the container is unloaded while it rests on the ground by swinging the handles 20 to outwardly extended positions. When each handle 20 has been turned through the desired angle it is automatically locked by means of the springs 36, and the container is ready to be raised with the package of bricks remaining on the ground.

While I have described a preferred form of container, it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form of the embodiment herein described without departing from the spirit of my invention as defined in the claims hereto annexed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. A bottomless container of the character described having a box-shaped frame, links pivotally mounted on opposite sides of said frame, said links normally engaging loadcarrying members disposed across the bottom of the frame, and being adapted to be swung outwardly to release said load-carrying members, and means whereby said links are yield ingly held in either engaged or released position against the pressure of a spring.

2. A bottomless container of the character described having a box-shaped frame, links pivotallymounted on opposite sides of said frame, said links normally engaging loadcarrying members disposed across the bottom of the frame and being adapted to be swungoutwardly to release said load-carrying members, shafts for moving said links to engaged or releasedv position, said shafts having portions with flat angular surfaces, and springs co-operating with said surfaces yieldingly to maintain said shafts with their links in either engaged or released position.

3. A bottomless container of the character described having a frame, including side and end walls, and a top, reinforcements extending across opposite sides of said frame in the form of castings having legs'integral therewith projecting beneath the bottom of the frame, and links pivotallymounted on said reinforcements and adapted to engageand release load-carrying members disposed across the bottom of the frame.

4. A bottomless container of the character described having a frame, including side and end walls, and a top, reinforcements at opposite sides of said frame in the form of castings having legs extending beneath the bottom of the frame, links pivotally mounted on said reinforcements, said links normally engaging load-carrying members disposed across the bottom of the frame, and means whereby said links are yieldingly held in either engaged or released position against the pressure of a spring.

5. bottomless container of the character described having a frame, including side and sure of a spring, said reinforcements having I outwardly projecting portions affording guards for said links and said spring.

6. A bottomless container of the character described having a frame, including side and end walls, and a top, reinforcements at opposite sides of said frame in the form of cast ings, shafts mounted on said reinforcement-s, links welded to said shafts, said links normally engagingload-carrying members disposed across the bottom .of the frame, and means secured to the back of said reinforcements forming with the same bearings for said shafts.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this 24 day of July, 1931.

GEORGE W. BUTTS.

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